Wellard grandmother gets new lease on life thanks to anonymous bone donor

WELLARD grandmother Sally Couch counts her blessings every day – and the anonymous bone donor who gave her a new lease on life.

After living in crippling pain with scoliosis since the age of 16, the mother of three was facing the prospect of living in a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

But three years ago, the 56-year-old had a life-changing total spinal fusion, thanks to a woman who donated her hip bone after hip replacement surgery.

“I was in crippling pain from scoliosis all my life to the point that I could hardly walk,” Mrs Couch said. “It was a crippling, cruel situation. It was horrendous.

“But after the operation the change was amazing.

“I went from being unable to walk far and being housebound to having a whole new lease on life. I couldn’t even lift my grandchildren to give them a cuddle and now I’m babysitting them and enjoying being a grandma.

“The work of PlusLife really is so important, I didn’t even know the bone and tissue bank existed until I needed it,” she said.

In 35 of last year’s cases, bone and tissue recipients were young cancer patients saved from the distress of having a limb amputated.

PlusLife managing director Anne Cowie said tribute should be paid to the hundreds of living and deceased tissue donors who, through their generous donations, had helped improve many lives.

“While organ donation rightly has a high community profile and is known as the ultimate, life-saving gift, many people are not aware that tissue donation is actually possible, or that their decision to be a tissue donor can have life-changing benefits for patients,” Mrs Cowie said.

Living patients having hip replacement surgery can donate the ball part of their hip, which is used commonly in a ground-up form for children with spinal deformities.

“One deceased tissue donor has the potential to improve the wellbeing, sight and mobility of up to 60 people,” Mrs Cowie said.

“There is a significant lack of awareness about the donation of human tissue after death, which includes bones, tendons, corneas, heart valves and skin. This lack of awareness impacts on the likely decision family of a recently deceased person will make when asked to consent to donation by their loved one.”